Track lifter



July 5, 1955 J. c. HOLT 2,712,433

TRACK LIFTER Filed July 8, 1953 INVENTOR. JEROME C. HOLT ATTORNEY United States Patent TRACK LIFTER Jerome Cyrus Holt, Portland, Greg. Application July 8, 1953, Serial No. 366,837 1 Claim. (Cl. 254-121) This invention relates to devices for use in the maintenance and repair of railroad tracks and more particularly to a rail jack.

In the maintenance and repair of railroad tracks, it is frequently necessary to lift a rail for leveling or ad usting a track with reference to the companion track or for removal and replacement of a defective tie. If the rail is lifted for leveling, it is necessary to raise it to the desired height for inserting a conventional steel plate between the tie and the rail. When it is desired to replace a defective tie, the rail must be lifted sulficiently to permit the removal of the old tie and the placement of a new tie.

I have found it to be quite essential to provide a means cooperatively related with both rails of a track, to be able to adjust one of the rails in relation to the other to effectively set both rails according to the road bed. Therefore one of the objects of the invention is to prov1de means supported on a tie to be fastened to a fixed rail and which is supported on a tie, with a means to engage the opposite rail to be adjusted with reference to the companion fixed rail.

According to present general practice, the lifting of a rail requires the labor of at least two men and the use of jack screws for raising the rails. The principal difliculty resides in the fact that the jack screws cannot fit under the rails and, consequently, it is usually necessary to dig a hole under the rail and place a solid support in the bottom of the hole for taking the pressure of the jack screw. It necessarily follows that after the operation is completed the jack screw and support must be removed from the hole and the hole filled in and tamped down to prevent any possible shifting of the road bed.

Having in mind the defects of the prior art apparatus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rail jack that may be mounted in the open and is capable of operation by a single operator.

It is another object of the invention to provide a rail jack which may be releasably latched in position when the rail is lifted to the desired height.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a readily adjustable support and an adjustable latch mech anism for enabling accurate elevation of the rail when the latch is secured.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a rail jack having simplicity of organization, economy of construction and efliciency in operation.

The foregoing objects and other ancillary thereto are preferably accomplished, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, by a lever type jack that is capable of operation by a single operator. This jack preferably comprises a base plate supporting a vertical screw which adjustably supports a fulcrum bracket. A lever is mounted by a horizontal pivot on said bracket and adjacent one end of said lever. A rail engaging hook is pivotally suspended from the short end of said lever and the long end of said lever comprises a handle for actuation by the operator.

2,712,433 Patented July 5, 1955 The rail engaging hook preferably comprises two rigidly connected hooks that are spaced to straddle a-tie. A latch hook is suspended from the handle for engaging under a suitable fixed part such as the other rail, and is adjustably mounted on the handle by means of a forked shank, the forks of which straddle the handle and each have a series of corresponding holes for selectively receiving a crosspin by which the hook is suspended.

The novel features that are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures and in which:

Figure 1 is a side view in elevation of a rail jack in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the rail jack in latched rail lifting position;

Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged end view of the jack in rail lifting position, to illustrate the use of the invention when set between ties, a portion of the lifted rail and of the jack being broken away.

Figure 5 is a view in .perspective of the jack.

Referring now to the drawing, a rail jack in accordance with the present invention comprises a base plate rotatably supporting a vertically disposed screw 11 on which a fulcrum bracket 12 is adjustably supported by means of a thread member 13 threaded on the screw 11. A lever 14, comprising a fulcrum head 15 at one end of a handle 16, is pivotally mounted on the bracket 12 by a pivot pin 17 extending horizontally through the bracket 12 and the fulcrum head 15 and spaced slightly from the free end of the fulcrum head.

As shown, the bracket 12 is preferably U-shaped and straddles the fulcrum head which preferably is relatively wide and comprises an open rectangular box structure. The free end of the fulcrum head terminates in a widened fork portion 18, the legs of which carry a transverse pivot 19 on which is pivotally suspended a rail engaging hook member 20. The hook member comprises a pair of hooks 21 which are spaced sufiiciently to straddle a tie, the hooks being rigidly connected by a crossbar 22 so that the hook member comprises a unitary element.

A latch hook 23 has a forked shank 24, the forks 25 of which straddle the handle 16 and are each provided with a series of corresponding holes 26. A pin 27 is selectively inserted through corresponding holes 26 in the forks 25 to retain the latch hook 23 on the handle. It will be noted that the latch hook 23 is freely slidable longitudinally of the handle and is adjustable relative to the handle by the selective insertion of the pin 27 in the desired pair of corresponding holes 26.

As previously indicated, the fulcrum bracket 12 may be vertically adjusted on the screw 11 by adjustment of the threaded member 13. In addition the screw 11 is provided with a collar 28 which is fixed thereto, said collar having one or more bores 29 for receiving a handle. As the screw 11 is rotatably supported by the base plate 16, this screw may be rotated by means of a handle inserted in a collar bore 29, and due to the pressure and resistance to rotation of the fulcrum bracket 12, the threaded member 13 will be relatively threaded along the screw 11 to thereby vary the adjustment in elevation of the fulcrum bracket 12.

In use and operation, if it is desired to raise the rail to level the track, or one of the rails thereof, the base plate '10 may be mounted on a tie T adjacent the rail R and the hooks 21 of the hook member ZO'engagedunder the base flange of the rail R, asshown in Figure 1. In this case, thehooks 21. straddle the tie T and engage under the milk on opposite sides of the tie, as shown in Fig.- ure. 3. The: lever handle 16 is then depressed, as illdi', cated'in-the arrow'in Figure l, to lift the rail R, and when said rail-R'is lifted the latch hook is engaged under the oppositerail R as shown in Figure 2.

The lifted rail R is thereby supported in elevated position while theoperator is free to insert one or more of the conventional steel lift plates between the tie T and the "rail R. Obviously, in order to support the'rail at the exact desired elevation, the jack may be adjusted either by rotation of the screw 11 or reinserting the pin 27 in another corresponding pair of holes to selectively vary the length of the hook shank 24:

When his desired to remove one or more ties, the jack may'then be positioned'between two ties, as shown in Figure-4, and preferably mounted upon a block B for a firm support and to obtain elevation. When the rail R is suitably elevated, the latch book 23 may then be secured and suitable blocks'placed under the rail R to hold it in elevated position. applied tothe opposite railR and the operation repeated. Thus, only one jack is necessary for raising both rails. While the rails arethus'elevated the old ties may be removedand the new ones inserted in their place.

Although a certain specific embodiment has been shown and described, it is obvious that many modifications thereof are possible. The invention, therefore, is

The jack may thenbe released and not to be restricted except insofar as necessitated by the spirit of the appended claimsin the light of the prior art. 7

What I claim is:

A rail jack comprising a base member adapted to be supported upon a railroad cross tie, a vertical screw rotatably supported in said base member, a collar fixed on said screw and having a radial bore for removably receiving a handle for turning-said screw, a member nonrotatably mounted on said screw to move vertically in response to rotation of said screw, a journal bracket supported by said member, a lever pivotally mounted adjacentone endon said bracket by a horizontal pivot, rigidly connected spaced-apart-rail lifting hooks pivotally suspended from the shortend of said lever to straddle the tie supporting said base and engage a rail ateither side of said tie, a latch hook having a forked shank to straddle the long end of said lever, said forks each having a series of corresponding holes, and a pin removably and selectively inserted through correspondingholes insaid forks to pivotally suspendsaidlatch hookfrom'said lever, whereby said latch hookanchors'the jack to one rail, while the two rigidly connected spaced-apart hooks engageand lift the companion-rail-when the handle is depressed.

Refei'ences Gited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

